Adela- “La Casa de Bernarda Alba”- Lorca
The Character of Adela (“El Personaje de Adela”)
● The fifth, and youngest, daughter (aged 20)
● Symbolises rebellion
● Her name might come from the verb “adelantarse” (“to get ahead”)
● Beautiful but naive, Adela has grand hopes for romance that she dies to
fulfil.
● She secretly has an affair with Pepe el Romano, her eldest sister’s
(Angustias) suitor. It’s implied that she is pregnant with his child.
● Adela is the only one who dares (“atreverse”) to rebel against Bernarda.
Whilst most of the sisters desire marriage and/or freedom, Adela is the
only one to take action to avoid being spurned (like Martirio) or a
spinster (like Magdalena).
● Believing Pepe to be dead, she kills herself. Thismay be a parody of
Romeo and Juliet, as Adela also dies incorrectly believing that her lover
is already dead. However, Adela’s affair was purely sexual and it’s
implied that she would not have been more than Pepe’s mistress (at
least until after Angustias’ death).
● Adela’s death shows how Spanish women can never be free to live
under patriarchal tyranny, or the misogyny perpetrated by the women in
their lives.
Adela’s Rebellion (“La Rebeldía de Adela”)
● Adela is the incarnation (“encarnación”) of open rebellion (“la abierta
rebeldía”).
● Adela is characterised by her rebellion and her longing for freedom, and
this is why she is the opposite to her sisters.
, ○ Adela se caracteriza por su rebeldía y sus ganas de libertad, y
por eso es lo opuesto de sus hermanas.
● She opposes Bernarda’s tyranny (“tiranía”).
● Adela rebels against the strict rules of mourning that her mother
imposes after her father’s death. The black of mourning represents
repression, and Adela defies this multiple times.
○ Adela gives her mother a colourful fan at her father’s funeral.
■ “(Le da un abanico redondo con flores rojas y verdes.)”
■ She gives her [Bernarda] a round fan decorated with red
and green flowers.
■ The colour green represents freedom and growth, whilst
the colour red symbolises love and passion. These are two
characteristics which Adela embodies.
■ After this, Bernarda demands that Adela learns to respect
her father’s memory (“Dame uno negro y aprende a
respetar el luto de tu padre”), representing oppression.
■ In the play, the stifling heat of the Andalusian summer
represents repression. Adela’s fan shows a desire to
escape this.
■ This can be seen as a clash between tradition (the
mourning) and modernity (Adela’s rebellion).
○ Adela wants to wear her green dress and go out to the street
(both of which are forbidden under Bernarda’s strict rules of
mourning).
■ “Adela: (Rompiendo a llorar con ira) ¡No, no me
acostumbraré! Yo no quiero estar encerrada. No quiero que
se me pongan las carnes como a vosotras. ¡No quiero
perder mi blancura en estas habitaciones! ¡Mañana me
pondré mi vestido verde y me echaré a pasear por la calle!
¡Yo quiero salir!”
The Character of Adela (“El Personaje de Adela”)
● The fifth, and youngest, daughter (aged 20)
● Symbolises rebellion
● Her name might come from the verb “adelantarse” (“to get ahead”)
● Beautiful but naive, Adela has grand hopes for romance that she dies to
fulfil.
● She secretly has an affair with Pepe el Romano, her eldest sister’s
(Angustias) suitor. It’s implied that she is pregnant with his child.
● Adela is the only one who dares (“atreverse”) to rebel against Bernarda.
Whilst most of the sisters desire marriage and/or freedom, Adela is the
only one to take action to avoid being spurned (like Martirio) or a
spinster (like Magdalena).
● Believing Pepe to be dead, she kills herself. Thismay be a parody of
Romeo and Juliet, as Adela also dies incorrectly believing that her lover
is already dead. However, Adela’s affair was purely sexual and it’s
implied that she would not have been more than Pepe’s mistress (at
least until after Angustias’ death).
● Adela’s death shows how Spanish women can never be free to live
under patriarchal tyranny, or the misogyny perpetrated by the women in
their lives.
Adela’s Rebellion (“La Rebeldía de Adela”)
● Adela is the incarnation (“encarnación”) of open rebellion (“la abierta
rebeldía”).
● Adela is characterised by her rebellion and her longing for freedom, and
this is why she is the opposite to her sisters.
, ○ Adela se caracteriza por su rebeldía y sus ganas de libertad, y
por eso es lo opuesto de sus hermanas.
● She opposes Bernarda’s tyranny (“tiranía”).
● Adela rebels against the strict rules of mourning that her mother
imposes after her father’s death. The black of mourning represents
repression, and Adela defies this multiple times.
○ Adela gives her mother a colourful fan at her father’s funeral.
■ “(Le da un abanico redondo con flores rojas y verdes.)”
■ She gives her [Bernarda] a round fan decorated with red
and green flowers.
■ The colour green represents freedom and growth, whilst
the colour red symbolises love and passion. These are two
characteristics which Adela embodies.
■ After this, Bernarda demands that Adela learns to respect
her father’s memory (“Dame uno negro y aprende a
respetar el luto de tu padre”), representing oppression.
■ In the play, the stifling heat of the Andalusian summer
represents repression. Adela’s fan shows a desire to
escape this.
■ This can be seen as a clash between tradition (the
mourning) and modernity (Adela’s rebellion).
○ Adela wants to wear her green dress and go out to the street
(both of which are forbidden under Bernarda’s strict rules of
mourning).
■ “Adela: (Rompiendo a llorar con ira) ¡No, no me
acostumbraré! Yo no quiero estar encerrada. No quiero que
se me pongan las carnes como a vosotras. ¡No quiero
perder mi blancura en estas habitaciones! ¡Mañana me
pondré mi vestido verde y me echaré a pasear por la calle!
¡Yo quiero salir!”
